A pivotal moment is approaching for football in the Netherlands as the national governing body, the KNVB, prepares to hold a decisive vote among its members on whether to allow an independent women's club to compete in the Eredivisie for the first time.

For the three women who co-founded the new club with the aim of 'changing the system', the irony of having only men vote on this crucial decision is not lost. However, they remain optimistic that their dream will become reality. If they secure the affirmative vote, their club, Hera United, based in Amsterdam, will join the country's top division next season and play matches in the city's historic Olympic Stadium.

The idea for Hera United was sparked by Marieke Visser, co-founder and co-owner, who observed the lack of celebration for Ajax Women's title win in the 2022-23 season. 'Ajax Women didn't get a celebration in the square in Amsterdam that is tradition for the men,' she recalls. 'That was my vivid moment when I was thinking, 'if not now, then when are we going to get equal opportunities? How long do we have to keep begging for recognition? As long as the women are part of the men's club, the focus will always be on the men – so what if we started our own club?'

Visser, whose children's books focus on strong female role models, was further inspired by the success of Angel City, a women's club in Los Angeles, and soon found like-minded partners. Barbara Barend, another co-founder and co-owner, a prominent sports journalist, highlighted the inequalities she witnessed when her daughter started playing football. 'I noticed when my daughter started playing football that it was a big difference when my boy became a member of the club than when my daughter became a member of the club. The balls, the fields, the trainers were all less good, all these inequalities. I saw how difficult it was going to be for the status quo to change – but I have never accepted a 'no' in my life,' Barend says.

The group has already attracted several investors and plans to take over the licence of Telstar, the team that finished 11th in the women's top tier last season, if the vote goes in their favour. They have also hired Vera Pauw, a former Netherlands, Houston Dash, and Republic of Ireland head coach, as a technical advisor. The club intends to focus on young players from the Amsterdam area and aims to demonstrate that their business model can be successful.

Susan van Geenen, co-founder and co-owner with extensive business experience, emphasizes the commercial potential of a club run by women for women. 'It's the right time because there is traction in the market,' Van Geenen says. 'Women's football is taking off in multiple dimensions. We believe if you put the right money and dedication into the talent, it will sky rocket. You have to have partners – we need to have wing-women and wing-men – to elevate this. Yes, it's risky money and, yes, the Netherlands is small, but the opportunity in the Netherlands offers a lot to gain. It's a small test market. [The streaming platform] Disney+ was tested in the Netherlands because we are a nice test market. We are the ideal market to test the women's football case and we have massive potential because we love football. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.'

If they receive the go-ahead, Barend says the new club will tailor everything specifically towards women and female athletes' performance. 'We won't have a coach who thinks 'OK, first I can coach Hera and then I can go into the men's game'. No, we'll have someone specialised in women's football. Our medical staff will specialise in women's football. Our training, injury-prevention, marketing, the sales team, our brands, everything will be done from the perspective of a woman. That's going to make the biggest difference,' she adds.

The trio is committed to running their club transparently to help other teams learn and hopes others will adopt their model. They aim to collaborate with women worldwide, with a vision that could inspire millions of girls. However, first, they need men to grant them permission on Monday.

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